Shade roller



SHADE ROLLER Filed Aug. 5. 1931 Patented Apr. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES F. SCHMELZ, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT; ASSIGNOR TO STAY-PUT SHADE ROLLER CORPORATION, NECTICUT' OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON'- y simian ROLLER Application filed August 5, 1931. Serial No. 555,194.

This invention relates to shade rollers, and more particularly to mechanism whereby the rotation of the roller in opposite directions, to raise or lower the shade, is controlled, and it has`l for one of its objects the provision of an improved devi-ce of this character whereby the rotation of theroller in one direction will be frictionally resisted, while, when the roller is being rotated in the other direction, the frictional resistance is automatically and materially relieved.

The invention has been clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters denote similar parts and in which Figure 1 is a front view of a shade roller and' its supporting bracket, the latter being shown in section.

'Figure 2 shows the left-hand view thereof, looliingin the direction of arrow 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3*3 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate the several units of which the left-hand mechanism is composed, Fig. i showing the supporting bracket,

F ig. 5 the combination pulley and brake drum unit, and Fig. 6 showing the brake band in its free or untensioned condition, preparatory to being placed into the brake drum.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a modification in the manner of holding some oi the parts t0- gether.

Fig. 9 shows an end view of a shade roller Vof the conventional or generally-used type arranged and adapted for use in connection with my improved mechanism.

In brief, the present device is an improved mechanism whereby a shade roller coupled thereto will iirstly be held frictionally against being rotated by the down-hanging portion of the shade fabric and its appurtenances, and which will. secondly, relieve this friction when a cord, attached to the pulley or spool of the mechanism, is pulled to rotate the rollf er in the opposite direction to raise the shade,

and the operators hand-pull will, therefore, have to overcome only the weight of the downhanging portion of the shade, instead of both, this weifrht plus the friction mentioned.

The present device is also designed to be used in connection with the spring rollers of the type which has been in general and practically universal use for many years and is still being used in large quantities.

In other words; when considering the present device in connection with its adaptation to the spring roller, it is entirely immaterial whether its spring functions properly or not, or isbroken and has, therefore, rendered the roller useless. In either case, when a spring roller is to be used with my improved mechanism, the spring arbor is simply liXed so that the roller cannot rotate without carrying the arbor-tang with it,'in either direction.

Anexliaustive study ofthe situation,- as far as the salvage of old shades is concerned, has revealed some importantfacts which, while not only interesting in emphasizing its economical advantages, also `show conclusively the advisabilityV of preserving the old rollers and the shades attached thereto without removing or handling thelatter atfall, or making any structural changes inthe rollers and their component parts. Especially in the better grades of shades, considerable care is eX- ercised in the installation of the shade-rolt ers, sov as not to mar or damage the window casings or the'shades, themselves, when made lof expensive material and decorated by handpainting, decalcomania, etc., to produce effects which are harmonious with the character of the rooms in which they are located. N aturally, such shades are valuable, and their owners are prone to have them handled no more than necessary. V

It is for these particular reasons that my improved device is so designed that it is f shades, uncertainty of alinement,l and wear of essential working parts) are entirelyehminated, and the spring-operated roller is converted into a. friction-operated device whose length of shade is not confined or limited by any winding-up of a spring.

Referring to the drawings, the roller S consists, in its simplest form, of a pla-in, solid cylindrical body to which the upper end of the shade material S may be secured as4 usual, by tacks, staples or otherwise. At its right-'hand end this roller is provided with a trunnion pin 10 whose shank 11 is firmly fiXed in the roller: whileits other end 12 is normally supported in the bracket 13 which is adapted to be secured to the casingof a window, by screws (not shown) passing thru holes provided therefor in the base plate 15 of the bracket. In order to permit the roller to be lifted out of the bracket, the

latter is slotted at 10', as usual.

` The other or left-hand end of the roller is provided with a fixed tab-pin 16 whose outer end is preferably rectangular in cross section (see Figs. 2 and 3) and is adapted to be entered into, or removed from a similarly-shaped aperture 18 formed in the face of the pulley-unit whereby the roller is rotatively controlled inL either direction, viz.: when the shade is pulled down by hand, as usual, or when the pulley is reversely rotated by a cord, to raise the' shade.

This pulley-unit and its support constitute in this instance the essential or important Y part of the invention, the main object being: simplicity in construction,.the greatest,

possible reduction in the number of the component parts, and lalso their easy and eco- Y nomical assemblage into a complete and effectively-operative device. Y

rlhe supporting bracket 2() consists substantially of an L-shaped member formedfrom sheet metal and having itsy base Vplate 21 provided with'scre'w-holes so that it may be attached to a window-casing.r` `The pulley-supporting portion of the bracket consists, in the present instance, of a quasi-tubular hub which is formedor drawn lfrom the sheet metal body by iirst radially slitl ting the metal and then bending the prongs 22 thus formed, right-angularly, so as to project from themain plate 23 in the manner shownv in Figs. 1 and 3, leaving an annular vshoulder 24 at their base to serve as a running-seat for the left-hand end of a cylindriv cal Vshell 25, the general inside diameter of which is such as to leave an annular space 25 between the inner lshell surface and the outer face-line of thebracket-prongs 22.

This method of prong-formation'of thc hub is particularly advantageous in this instance because the thicknessV of the metalprongs remains practically the same as that of the original metal, incontradistinction to the cup-drawing method which would .116C- essarily entail considerable stretching and consequently thinning of the supporting body. Besides this fact, the length of the prongs is limited only by the diameter of the bendingcircle; while in the cup-drawing process' the shell-length is less, and its terminaly edge is apt Vto be rough and therefore Vto require trimming, thus making the length of the pulley-support shorter than is actually needed here.

VIn order to provide for supportingthe right-hand end of the shell 25, vthe latter is crimped or beaded, as at 26, to ride on the exterior faces of the properly-curved prongs V22, andmit is specifically the end-plate 27 of this cup-shaped shell 25, which is proa brake-band 30 which is bent at'one end,`31,

to enter a slot 32 in one of the prongs 22 of the bracket and t-hus become anchored at that point; while its other end vis loose .or free in the space 25 and allowsthe main portion 83 to adapt itself to, and frictionally engage, the inner 'surface of the shell 25, the latter practically constituting a brakedrum which is under considerable frictional resistance when being'rotated clockwise, as

eoV

per arrow a, but is self-releasing when it is rotated in the other direction, as per arrow 5 (see Fig. 3). As previously stated, the shell 25 is to be rotated in the direction of arrow by a cord,

and a cord-spool can be readily formed by providing a pair of flanges, 35, 36 which primarily are identical and have drawn-up portionsr to form hubs which, when press-fitted onto the shell (as shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 7) for Y receiving form an adequate space spooled-up cord c whose end is knotted eX- Vteriorly of the iiange 35, as shown in Fig.`1.

In order to increasethe cord-space, I prefer to dish the flange 35 and therefore also lessen the liability of the cord being caught and deflected by the flange during the reeling-on process. In addition to press-fitting the flange-hubs on the shell 25, spot-welding may be employed to form the pulley, braken drum, and shell into one single inseparable unit which isrotatably supported on the sin-l gle support-unit 20, and lfrictionally controlled by the Single brake-band unit 30,.;1 total of three pieces which may be easilyvand quickly assembled.

TNI

Means are provided for holding the three units together, as a single article of manufacture which may be shipped and used without danger of becoming dissembled. ,While this object may be attained in different ways, I prefer to use the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 in which the shell-head 27 is slightly counter-crimped, as at 26a, to provide what may be termed an annular channel adapted to receive the ends of the bearing-prongs 22 whose extreme outer ends are slightly upset outwardly, as at 22a, and, when in place within the channel, will hold them against longitudinal movement. thereon. The amount of this prong-end channelengagement is, in practice, very slight and will permit the entire spool-unit to be forced-off, because there is sufficient resiliency in the prongs to allow the required small give without destroying the natural resiliency of the metal, even if the latter is soft or annealed. Likewise, and for the same reason, the Spool-unit may be easily placed onto the prongs and become sutliciently locked to hold the parts together against accidental separation.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated a modiication in which the bracket-base is slitted to form a tab adapted to` be bentover, as shown in Fig. 7, to engage the outer spoolflange 35 and thus hold the parts together. This tab will also serve as a guard to prevent the cord from flying out of the cord-space between the flanges. In either case, the holding-member is a part of the main bracket, but it should be distinctly understood that the exploitation of the device is not at all limited to the particular construction shown and described.

From the above it will now be understood that my improved device consists of only three individually-complete and independently-formed units, viz: the supporting bracket 20, the combination brake-drum and pulley rotatable on the bracket, and the brake-band anchored to the bracket and engaging the brake-drum. Furthermore, the three units are removably held together Y against accidental separation by one or more holding members integral with the bracket,

so that no extraneous means need be employed to perform that function.

In actual practice, the supporting brackets 13 and 20 are formed from sheet metal by e punch-and-die process, the 'stampings thus obtained possessing great stability and being quickly and inexpensively manufactured.

Of the three components of the combination pulley-and-brake drum unit, the hubbed flanges 35 and 36 are identical in material and size, the only difference being a slight dish in the flange 35 only, the other Hang@ (36) being straight, to bring the left-hand hub of the pulley-shell 25 as near to the root of the bracket-hub as possible, and there being plenty of room at the right-hand end of theshell to permit flaringof the flange without interfering withitsfree operation. On the other hand, if so desired,` both flanges 35, 36 may be formed. exactly alike andl'assem bled, asdescribed,on and with the shell Q5, the latter being also made of sheet metal and by the stampingprocess. Thethird unit, viz.: the brake-band 33, is made of Spring lsteel suchas is commonly used for clock and watch springs, the degree of friction producedxby it `on the inner surface of the brakedrum depending, of course, upon the gage andtemper of the band-metal.

been described as being a plainsolid cylindrical body which is provided at itsleft hand end with therectangular pin 17 adapted to enter :the slotv 18 of thepulley hub 27. In order to adapt the present device for usein connection: with the.y conventionaltype of spring rollers, the tab17 is madeof the-same size as that of the spring'roller Sa (see Fig. 9). Here-the shade roller Sais-of the'conventional and `generally-used type, and cornprises .the spring-arbor 40 to which yone end of'a spring (not shown) is secured and which has a Jflattened or oblong.tang'41il whereby the roller is co-rotatively connectedwithv m improved device above described. The roller is provided at itsl operatingend with La `pair, of gravitativeI dogs42 pivoted at 43 and having tabs 44 adapted to enter notches'45 formed in the arbor-flange. 46,;a's shown, all theV parts described beingA Wellknown and in general use at .thepresent time.

As above stated, `my improved operating device disregards the roller-spring or itsnormal-function. It the .spring is'in Working order, it will be only necessary vto wind it up tight and let one of the dogs 42 enter oneof the notches"45,the spring and roller becoming thus effectively locked4 together for corotation. 0n the other hand, if the spring should be broken, the same lockedcondition canl readily be effected in the 'mannerf shown in Fig. 3, where the'upper dog 42 isrmly held with its tab 44 engaging the'notch45y by a shoe or clip 47, one end .off whichv (48) is bent around'the heel of the dog, (while its otherend 49 is bent to engage theiinner wall ofthe recess or chamber formed inthe rol-lerend and its vferrule for the receptiorroffth'e parts just mentioned. i '7. "if

Opf course, it should be'understood that any other' suitable locking means may be enr-y ployed in lieu of the shoe-clip 47.

Changes may be made in theforganization as well as in the particular construction of theelements of my improved device, itbeing obvious that, while the brackets shownand described are of the .outside fixture variety, their basesiwill have to be modified to meet the requirements of the inside fixtures.

In the above description, the rollerS.` lhas Y 1. A device ofthe character described comprising a bracket having a'hollow hub, a spool rotatable thereon, means for rictionally'resisting such rotation in one direction andV self-relieving in the other'direction, said means being disposed between the co-o-pera.-

Vtive surfaces of said hub and spool, and' a plate on the spool-hub having an aperture adapted to receive a coupling member carried by a roller4 to be operated thereby;

v "2. A deviceof the. character described comprising abracket'ihaving a'hollow hub, `a spool having a hollow hub provided with an inwardly projecting annular lange, rotatablysupported on-the outer surface of said e bracket-hub, means vfor `frictionally resisting the rotationVv of said spool in one direction, and means for coupling a roller to said spool. l v 3. A device of thevcharacter described comprising a bracket having a shouldered hollow hub, a spool having aY tubular hub supported y at oneV end on said bracket-shoulder and provided with an inwardly-projecting lange for rotatably supporting the'other rendofV said spool-hub in'jspaced relation yon the brackethub,and a brake-band anchored with' one end onthe bracket-hub and having its free main portion in frictional engagement with the interior surface of'said spool-hub.

' 4. A device of the character described comprising, as complete -and independently Vformed components, three individual elements, viz: a supporting bracket, a combination-pulley-and-brake-drum rotatable on the bracket, Aand a brake. band having one end anchored on the bracket and having its other free end frictionally engaging the brake drum' surfacethe bracket having integralY portions for'holding the three elements t0- gether againstV accidental separation.

a 5. A device of the character described comprising a supporting bracket having prongs H projecting therefrom'to form a quasi-cylindrical hollow hub, a cup-shaped shell rotatable on said hub and having flanges to `form a cord-spool, anda brake band having one of its ends anchored on one of said prongs and havingits other end frictionally engaging the interior of said shell. ,l

. 6. VA device of the character described comprising a supporting bracket having prongs projecting therefrom to form ac quasi-cylinl drical hollow hub, the ends of said prongs beingup-set outwardly, a cup-shaped shell rotatable on said hubv and having an annular crimped channel to receive said upset prongends for holding such shell on the hub, and a brake band having one of its ends anchored ononeof said'prongs and having its free por- Y tion fric't-ionally engaging the interior of said Shen.Y g Y l' y CHARLES F. soHMELz. 

